New Syrian opposition group recognized by Gulf council

ANTAKYA, Turkey -- The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council says it has recognized the new broad-based Syrian opposition group as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.

Monday's statement is the first formal recognition for the newly united opposition group that seeks to topple President Bashar Assad.

It also could be another step toward opening up greater military aid to the rebels from the Gulf states such as Qatar, which hosted the Syrian opposition meeting.

Syrian rebel groups formed the new, unified opposition body in the face of escalating violence in the country and spillover in the region, but the jury is out on whether it will be more credible and effective than the council it replaces.

"All the FSA (Free Syrian Army) leaders demanded that (the opposition) politicians unite before," said Mosa Ahmed, an FSA fighter and member of the Free Syrian Lawyers, based in Antakya, Turkey. "I hope that all the FSA units will accept the new council, but I can't guarantee it."

Western powers have held back from assisting rebels directly for fear that weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists. But on Sunday, delegates in Qatar ended days of talks with an agreement to band together under the umbrella of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCSROF) -- an organization made up of 60 seats and including members from the main opposition Syrian National Council (SNC).

Previously regarded as the closest thing to a unified group, the SNC had been criticized as not being representative of opposition groups within Syria and for its inaction during the 19-month conflict. The U.S. pulled support from the group.

But while the group was initially resistant to a new leadership body, an agreement was finally reached on Sunday with members of the SNC taking 22 of the seats, while Damascene imam Maath al-Khatib was chosen as president for the new dissident organization.

Al-Khatib, seen as a politically inclusive independent candidate, has been repeatedly arrested for his opposition to the Assad regime. Analysts say his election represents a change from the SNC, which is seen as dominated by exiled academics.

"Appointing a preacher represents a qualitative change that will most likely resonate among many people because it provides religious legitimation," said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "This also shifts the balance in power in the opposition. The reality is that, while there are many secular voices, the opposition on the ground has become more and more religious."

Meanwhile, observers say they hope the new coalition will allow for a more streamlined and efficient leadership than the 310-member SNC. The new structure follows the framework of the Syrian National Initiative, a plan put forward by Syrian businessman and political dissident Riad Seif who has been elected one of two vice presidents of the new coalition.

Analysts say the move has come about under pressure from the international community, and the U.S. in particular.

"The Syrian opposition elements are under pressure from the Western powers to give them the cover they need to ensure Assad falls," said Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East Policy studies at City University, London. "(The West and much of the Arab world) are not prepared to live with long-term containment of the Syrian conflict -- It's got to be regime change and in order to increase the chances (of that), they need to get arms to Assad's opponents and (therefore) they need the opposition to change."

The British will be hosting talks with representatives of the new coalition in London later this week to discuss "further support" for the Syrian opposition, according to a statement from British Foreign Secretary William Hague released on Sunday.

Supporters of the new initiative say that it represents 90% of the Syrian opposition groups, compared with only 50% or 60% that are represented by the SNC.

Most important, analysts say, it is trying to bring in armed opposition forces and provide coordinated leadership for what is currently a fragmented alliance of rebel battalions made up of foreign elements and Islamist groups united by the common aim of overthrowing Assad - but at times little else.

Still, it remains to be seen if these forces will follow the coalition's leadership.

"Yes, it's more inclusive, but will the new opposition really be able to unify all factions inside Syria?" Gerges said. "Will it be able to speak for the dozens of military battalions? Will the various factions be able to shed their own identity and coalesce? The jury is still out."

Meanwhile, fighting between regime forces and rebels has continued to spill out into neighboring territories with shells straying into Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday and Monday. Israel reacted by firing back into Syrian territory, taking out a Syrian armored vehicle.

There have already been clashes on Syria's borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Analysts say this only underlines the need to contain the Syrian conflict.

"What the Israelis are doing made it clear that they didn't perceive themselves to be under attack, but that it was a retaliatory move to send a message --beware of this border, if you transgress it, we won't put up with it," Hollis said. "Slowly but surely the ramifications of the conflict are affecting all the neighbors and creating more and more uncertainty and instability."

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